Henna for Hair: Dying gray hair black with henna and indigo: schematic diagram and explanation

If you dye gray hair with henna, the Lawsone molecules will penetrate the keratin in the hair shaft and dye it orange. If you dye your hair with indigo immediately afterward, the indigo molecules will penetrate the keratin in the outer layers of the hair shaft with indigol molecules which will oxidize to dark blue. Powdered indigo leaves prepared for hair are alkaline and will react with the acidic henna to darken the orange. Your hair will be dyed near black as the result of this interaction. In Turkey, white woolen yarn was dyed rich, long-lasting black by dying it once with henna, and overdying that with indigo.   Your hair is made of keratin, just as is wool.

If you use body art quality henna, which has the highest percentage of Lawsone of any henna, and leave the paste in your hair for several hours, the keratin hair shaft will become saturated with dye. If you use high quality indigo immediately after body art quality henna, you have the best chance of dying your gray hair a deep, natural-looking black color.

After you complete the dye process, it will take two days for the dyes to naturally darken to peak color. If you do not get satisfactory color saturation the first time, repeat the dye process until you build up the color you want. Henna is beneficial for your hair, you can dye as often as you like!

The indigo molecules are slightly larger than Lawsone molecules, so they stain the outer layers of the hair shaft. Some people find the indigo color fades slightly over several weeks, and the henna begins to show through. You can refresh the color by dying your hair with a mix of mostly indigo, and a little henna.

If you dye your gray hair with indigo, without the henna, you're apt to be a "blue haired old lady". If you're a lady.   If you're old.

Go to: dye your hair with henna

Go to: dye your hair with indigo